The Force in Harmony (update 5)

>The inside of the treebrary was quite cozy.
>Walls lined with books, a table to read at, and the warm light of candles adding to the light from the windows.
>"There isn't really a proper guest room here, but I've got something set up in the basement. Hopefully the bed is large enough, you're... big."
"So I've noticed."
>Luckily the ceilings seem to be high enough, but so far all the doors you've seen have been well shorter than you can simply walk through.
>"Spiiike, we're back!"
>"Well /that/ didn't take long..."
>The reply came from a side room, followed closely by the speaker, a purple and green reptile of some sort that managed to be even smaller than these ponies.
>"So--woah, he's HUGE!"
>A broom clatters to the floor as Spike gapes at you, eyes wide.
>"Spike, staring is impolite."
>"Oh, uh, right. Sorry."
>He manages to tear his gaze away from you, and reaches down to pick up his broom.
>"Anyway, Spike, I need you to send a letter to the princess, its possible some of Anonymous's supplies fell out of his ship before it crashed, and some of it could be dangerous."
>Twilight levitates a page of her notes over to him, which he takes and...
>Burns up with a small belch of green flame.
>This was apparently the intended result, as she is completely unphased.
>"Ok, that's handled. The basement is this way, you can set your pack down there, it looks rather heavy."
"Perhaps, but it's a weight I'm well used to in my travels."
>The basement is surprisingly cavernous, the stairs curving along the wall.
>Much of the space is taken up by machinery of some sort.
>All you can really tell is that there's a lot of blinking lights, but it was a welcome sight.
>Perhaps there was still a chance they were advanced enough to be able to repair your ship.
>And there, near the base of the stairs, was a cobbled together bed, along with a pony-sized desk and stool.
>"There wasn't really time to get a you-sized desk set up ahead of time, I hope that's all right."
"My legs will stick out from under it, but it should be f--"
>A belch from Spike interrupts you, a rolled-up scroll materializing from his green flames.
>He catches and unrolls it, clearing his throat before he begins to read aloud.
>"My dear student Twilight: Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Weather teams along the areas Anonymous's ship passed over will be instructed to watch for any debris, and guard patrols have been sent to check the more remote locations. Even if there is no danger to be found, I am certain Anonymous will appreciate the recovery of any lost supplies we may discover."
>"So that's taken care of, good. Shouldn't take more than a day or two if there's anything to be found."
>You nod, shrugging off your pack and setting it by the bed.
"Depending on what survived, there may be some use of them, but much of it was simply food and such for extended journeys. One never knows how long they'll be away from the comforts of home."
>"You're an explorer?"
"Of sorts. The galaxy is a large place, and much of it is already known, if isolated. Only rarely do I find myself on an unknown world like this, with no outside contact."
>Twilight's expression shifts to a now-familiar look of barely restrained curiosity.
>"So what do you normally do?"
"Whatever needs doing. There aren't enough of us to maintain a presence on every world, so we respond to requests as they come up. In quieter times, we serve as advisors, mediators, diplomats. In rougher times... you've seen firsthand what we can do, and that reputation alone can sometimes defuse a situation before it escalates."
>"But not always."
>You let out a long breath before answering.
"No, not always."
>"What does it... what is it even like?"
>Her tone has again shifted, a hint of worry making itself known.
"It's..."
>It takes you a few moments to think of how to properly articulate your response.
"A lot of the time, it's just some thugs. Plenty of sentients haven't seen a jedi in person before, so they don't think the stories can possibly be true. Or they're afraid to back down in front of their friends, or simply think they can win. Most of them change their mind after their weapon gets sliced apart with nothing to show for it. Very rarely is one stubborn enough to require killing. Wild beasts are something I have more experience with than most jedi, given my travels."
>Twilight's gaze is unwavering as you continue.
"With animals, it's mostly posturing. They'll growl and roar, they'll rear up, but that's just them warning you to back off. It takes a push for them to outright attack. If you heed their warnings, you'll generally be left alone."
>"So what happened with the lizards?"
"I'm not sure. If they were simply defending the nest I had stumbled into, they should have stopped chasing me after I'd moved on. They would need to have been desperately hungry to pursue as long as they had, a hungry animal is easy to dissuade by simply being not worth the effort to hunt down. Even after losing as many as they did as quickly as they did, they did not immediately scatter when I charged them. Either those lizards are particularly determined hunters, which seems at odds with how out of place my actions seem to have been, or someone has trained them."
>You can see the wheels turning in her head as she processes your words.
"I do not know enough about how animals behave here to say for certain, perhaps with some observation we can work out if that was normal behavior or not."
>"Mmm. So, thugs and animals? Was there anything else?"
"For the most part, not really, but there are more serious dangers to be faced. There are some with the talent to be able to fight a jedi on more or less even terms, and there are occasions when such a person is inclined to do so, generally when there is a lot of money involved. Beyond those..."
>A silence hangs in the air.
"Some users of the Force do not have good intentions."
>Your voice takes a decidedly hard tone, causing Twilight to pull away slightly at the shift.
>The questions she may have had melt away under your stern expression.
>"Rrrrright. Well, I've got some books to sort, go ahead and get settled in, if you need anything, just let me or Spike know."
>With that, she turns and trots up the steps, leaving you alone.
>Probably not the best way to end a conversation, but an effective one against the inquisitive sort.
>There wasn't much unpacking to do, most of the contents of your pack was wilderness gear.
>You go ahead and pull out the field rations, as well as the spare robes, setting them on a corner of your desk for now, with your lightsaber resting on top.
>A quick check of the desk's drawers finds you a set of writing materials.
>Aurebesh wasn't exactly designed with handwriting it in mind, but you do a decent enough job of putting the symbols to paper.
>Once they were all there, you grab the sheet of paper and head upstairs.
>Time to figure out if this written language difference goes both ways.